Perceptions of Japan in the Nineteenth Century

To New Zealanders in the mid-nineteenth century, Japan was a remote, obscure empire of little direct importance. New Zealand’s interest in Japan was raised by the attempts of outsiders, including the British, to open Japan to outside trade. The surprisingly effective modernisation of Japan, demonstrated by Japan’s defeat of China at the end of the nineteenth century led to Japan being perceived as a potential threat, militarily, and also as a trade rival to the Western nations.